This is the story of the first ship to bear the name HMS Cossack, a name later carried by five more ships and commemorated by the Royal Navy in the Cossack Building at HMS Raleigh. This facility trains navies from around the world in boarding and searching vessels—a tradition inspired by the actions of the fifth ship of the name during the Altmark Incident.

Originally launched as Pandor, she was renamed Cossack in 1806. An interesting note: one of her captains was George Digby, whose descendant now serves as President of the HMS Cossack Association.

Year by Year

Discover the history of the HMS Cossack from 1806 to 1816.

You can search the ‘year’ and ‘month’ to find a specific date and also ‘click’ on the date itself to reveal any images and moments from that date.

01 March 1814

Under Captain Edward Sibly

01 July 1814

Under Captain James Wemyss

01 August 1814

Under Captain Robert Rodney

15 December 1814

Arrived Bermuda

20 December 1814

Departed Bermuda, for Castine, with 2 or 3 transports in convoy with detachments of the 62nd and 29th regiments on board, but parted with them in a gale off Jeffery’s Bank.

11 January 1815

Arrived Halifax, from Bermuda.

21 March 1815

Arrived Halifax, from a cruise and with the schooner THISTLE, Capt. Clark, from Malaga to Halifax, with wine and fruit, but which was captured on 25 Dec 1814, by the US privateer America, and re-captured later by the COSSACK. THISTLE had lost her foremast and bowsprit in a gale and being out of provisions for 30 days, the crew had subsisted on the wine and fruit in the hold.

21 May 1815

Portsmouth, came into harbour.

07 July 1815

Portsmouth

01 August 1815

Under Captain Lord Algeron Percy

01 June 1816

Broken up at Portsmouth

Hidden Gems

The first HMS Cossack in 1814 had 3 Captains from March to August of 1814. Sibly, Weymss and Rodney.

1806-1816

This is the account of the first vessel named HMS Cossack, a title that would be passed on to five later ships and commemorated by the Royal Navy in the Cossack Building at HMS Raleigh.

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1854-1875

The second Cossack was originally ordered by Russia for the Black Sea Fleet in December 1852 at a cost of 290,000 silver roubles. However, when relations between Britain and Russia deteriorated, Russia sold the vessels to the Hamburg trading firm Henry Mersk & Co.

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1886-1905

This account covers the third vessel named HMS Cossack. Launched on 3 June 1886 and in service until 1905, she spent the majority of her career in the Far East, calling at India, Aden, Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and other ports.

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1907-1919

The fourth HMS Cossack received the first Battle Honour for participating in operations along the Belgian coast from 17 October to 8 November 1914. This section contains copies of the original construction contract and detailed plans showing her launch, deck arrangements, and machinery.

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1938-1941

Credited with battle honours including Baltic 1855, Witu 1890, Dover Patrol 1914–1919, Narvik 1940, Norway 1940, Atlantic 1940–1941, the Bismarck Action 1941, and the Malta Convoys 1941, the HMS Cossack in service from 1938 to 1941 was a formidable presence.

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1944-1960

During Warship Week in February 1942, the town of Esher raised £1,192,211, contributing to the construction of the warship HMS Cossack. The funds were collected by the public depositing money into a rubber-type float in a pool. Remarkably, the surplus was enough to fund a submarine as well. The story continues.

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